Uncharted 3 tries to look like a movie and play like a game

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Uncharted 2 began with one of the
greatest action sequences ever — a literal cliffhanger escape from a
dangling train. It set the tone for the entire game and gave me a
tutorial in the basic actions. The rest of the game, as good as it was,
never surpassed it for visual and dramatic flair. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
begins with a different sort of action sequence — a barroom brawl that
quickly teaches me how to throw punches, dodge, grapple my enemies and
break free from their clutches. It also shows me what is right and what
is wrong with the game.

The fight is exciting and serves to draw me into the game quickly. Even though Uncharted 3
has a story — something about “the Atlantis of the Sands,” which makes
about as much sense as “the Cat of the Dog” — it is primarily an
exploration and action game. I might be asked to watch a movie for a few
minutes, and listen to some mumbo jumbo about archaeology, but I’m
mainly there to fight, wander around and solve puzzles — and the game
doesn’t waste too much time in getting that started.

The bar looks and sounds wonderful. Every
footstep, shuffle and fall to the floor is given its own unique sound.
The rooms echo distinctly — the warm muffle of the wood floor contrasts
with the echo of the bathroom’s hard tile. And in the bathroom itself,
each urinal features a unique pee stain on its porcelain, and the tile
is mildewed in a realistic, un-programmed pattern. Even the tables in
the bar itself seem to have been made by several manufacturers, not just
clicked into place using a computer’s “Copy” function.

But the characters also move with an
unnerving speed. They whirl around too quickly. They suddenly slide
short distances across the floor without moving their feet. And my
actions are integrated into the pre-rendered scenes, meaning that one
moment I’m controlling Nathan Drake, the explorer/hero/brawler of the
game, as he punches and kicks some nameless goons, and the next moment
I’m simply watching him slam someone’s head into the toilet. It’s hard
to know where I end and the programming begins.

The game’s next sequence transports Drake
back in time to his childhood where he is clambering along walls and
rooftops like the adult he will become. Here again, there are too many
moments of pre-programmed instruction, where Nate can only move in one
or two directions, making the climb less of a maze than an obstacle
course I must steer him through. And he telegraphs his moves by reaching
for the next handhold before I have a chance to determine where it
might be. I no longer worry that I’m dangling from a building — I’m just
following instruction.

THE GOOD: More than just lavish graphics, Uncharted 3 uses sound, color and lighting to create a setting — an important thing in an exploration game.

THE BAD: A game that looks this good shouldn’t have so many animated glitches.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception tries to look like a movie and play like a game, and can’t always find its own identity between the two.